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No. 625,403. Patented may 23, 1899.` n. H. LENTz s. H. c. sHAw.

MACHINE FR ROLLING RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application filed Feb. 21, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 625,403. Patented May 23, |899.

D. H. LEIITZ'. H. C. SHAW. y MACHINE FOR ROLLING RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application led Feb. 21, 1898.)

am Model.) 2 shuts-snm 2.

NrrED STATES PATENTV OFFICE.

DAVID Il. LENTZ, OF JOLIE'I, ILLINOIS, AND HENRY C. SHAV, OF PITTS- BURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE MCKENNA STEEL VORKING COMPANY, OF MILVAUKEE, VISCONSIN. A

MACHINE FOR ROLLING RAILWAY-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,403, dated May 2.3, 1899.

Application filed February 21, 1898. Serial No. 671,044. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID Il. LENTZ, residing at Joliet, in the county of V'Will and State of Illinois, and HENRY C. SHAW, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Rolling Railway-Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a machine for ro1l ing railway-rails, and more particularly to a machine adapted to assist in the operation of rerolling or renewing old steel rails.

The machine of our invention was designed primarily to do the first work which is done upon the rail in such renewing process after it leaves the furnace and is intended to be placed immediately in front of the opening in the furnace and in addition to doing work upon the rail to perform the function of withdrawing a rail from any part of said furnace, so that we term the machine a drawing-out roll.72

It is desirable before work is had on the main rolls that the rail should be reduced to a uniform height and that the scale that has formed upon it while in the furnace should be removed.

In accordance withcur invention a way is provided extending across the opening in the furnace, and a pair of standards, which carry the rolls, are adapted to be moved to and fro along said way. The rolls are comparatively short and have smooth surfaces throughout their operative length, and a guide is provided for directing a rail between said rolls to prevent lateral displacement of said rail while being worked. The lower roll supports the flange of the rail, while the upper rollengages with its head. Means are preferably provided Yfor securing a vertical adjustment of the upper roll in order to vary the distance between said rolls to accommodate rails of different heights. To eect the rotation of the rolls, gear-wheels are provided upon the ends thereof, which mesh with pinions mounted to rotate with but movable longitudinally upon driven shafts which extend as far as the roll-train is desired to travel. These shafts are provided with intermeshing gear-wheels at their ends, which cause the same to rotate at a uniform speed and in opposite directions, said gear-wheels being driven by any suitable mechanism, preferably by a driving-belt wheel mounted upon the same shaft with one of them.

The effect of passing a rail between the two smooth rolls of the machine of ourinvention is to crush the head of the rail or buckle its web, or both, thereby reducing the rail to a uniform height at all points, in condition to be passed through the roughing-rolls. The scale is also broken, so that it may be readily removedby Scrapers. These results are had, more0ver,without disturbing the original fishing-angles of the rail.

IVe will explain the details of construction of our improved machine more particularly by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the rollingmachine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Similar parts are designated by similar letters of reference throughout the several figures.

The rolls c b are journaled to rotate in bearings c h', respectively, provided in the standards c. The roll c is provided upon one of its ends with a gear-wheel a2, and the roll b is likewise provided with a gearwheel b2. Gearwheels CL2 b2 mesh with pinions a3 b3, respectively, which are adapted to be rotated to operate the rolls in a manner hereinafterto be described.

The standards c are supported upon the way d, which extends across the opening in the furnace, and said standards are adapted to be moved along said way to bring the rolls c h opposite any portion of said opening. Guides o2 c2 are provided between the standards c, said guides being adapted to direct a rail as it isy being passed between said roll ers and prevent lateral displacement thereof. Rollers c3 c3 are also provided in connection with said guides to facilitate its movement. n

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To eect the movement of said standards along said way, we preferably provide threaded bearings c e in the lower part of said standards, said bearings being engaged by a threaded shaft cZ, extending along said way as far as the roll-train is desired to travel. Means for rotating said threaded shaft CZ in either direction will be hereinafter described.

The pinions a3 b3 are mounted to rotate with but are movable-longitudinally upon the square shafts e f, respectively, which are j ourn aled to rotate in bearings provided therefor in standards g h, mounted upon the ends of said way. Intermeshing gear-wheels e f are provided upon the shafts e f, respectively, and upon an extension f2 of the shaft f is mounted a driving-wheel f3, over which a driving-belt f4 maybe passed. Upon the rotation of,said driving-wheel rotation will be imparted to the roll a through the medium of gear a2 upon the end thereof, pinion a3, shaft e, gear-wheel e', gear-wheel f', and extension f2 of the shaft f, upon which extension the driving-wheel is mounted. Likewise rotation at the same speed butin an opposite direction will be imparted to the roll b through the medium of gear-wheel Z22 and pinion ha, mounted upon the square shaftf, upon the extension f2 whereof the driving-Wheel is mounted.

The threaded shaft CZ' is journaled to rotate in bearings g h', provided in the standards g 7i. A bevel gear-wheel Z2 is 4provided upon said shaft, said bevel gear-wheel meshing with bevel-pinions d3 Z4 at either side thereof, said pinions being loosely mounted upon acommon shaft/z'. Clutches Z 2 are provided upon said shaft, said clutches when actuated being caused to engage with the bevel-pinions CZ3 (Z4, respectively, to cause said pinions to rotate with the shaft. An operating-lever 'Z3 is provided, which may be manipulated to cause one or the other of the clutches 2" 2 to engage with said pinions. The shaft Z is `iournaled to rotate in bearings Z: k. A bevel gear-wheel Z is mounted upon the shaft 7l, said bevel gear-wheel meshing with a bevel-pinion Z', provided upon the end of a short shaft m, said shaft being journaled to rotate in a bearin g n. At the other end of said shaft m is provided a gear-wheel m', which meshes with the gear-wheel f, mounted upon the shaft f.

By an inspection of Fig. 3 it will be understood that if the lever i3 be manipulated to cause the clutch t" to engage with the pinion (Z3 rotation in an opposite direction to that of the shaftf will be imparted to the threaded shaft CZ through the medium of bevel-gear (Z2 upon the end of said threaded shaft, pinion d3, shaft c', gear-wheel Z, pinion Z', shaft m, gear-wheel m', and gear-wheel f upon said driving-shaft f, thus causing the roll-train to travel along the way CZ. In like manner if the operating-lever 113 be manipulated to cause the clutch 2 to engage with the pinion Z4 rotation corresponding to the direction of rotation of said driving-shaft f will be imparted to the threaded shaft LZ.

Adjusting-screws o p are provided in the standards c c for causing a vertical adjustment of the upper roll a, the rotation of said adjustingscrews being eifected by an arrangement of bevel-gears actuated by a handwheel q, which construction is well known and requires no further description. The rolls a b are preferably constantly driven, and by manipulation of the operating-lever Z3 the whole roll-train may be moved to and fro along the way CZ in a manner already described to bring the said roll-train opposite any part of the openin g in said furnace,where bya rail lying at any part of the furnace may be directed immediately between the rolls.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-V l. The combination with a furnace, of a way extending across the opening thereof, a rail-rolling machine mounted to travel to and fro along said way in front of the furnace, said rail-rolling machine having a pair of cylindrical rolls with smooth surfaces for engaging the top and bottom only of the rail and adapted to bring the head and flange of the rail nearer together, guides for directing a rail between said rolls, other guides for preventing lateral displacement of the rail while it is being rolled, and means for moving the machine to and fro along said way in front of said furnace to receive a rail lying in any part of the opening of said furnace, substantially as described.

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2. The combination with a furnace, of a y way extending across the opening thereof, a rail-rolling machine/mounted to travel to and fro along said way in front of the furnace, said rail-rolling machine having a pair of cylindrical rolls forming opposing smooth surfaces between which a heated rail may be passed, whereby the head and iange of such rail are brought nearer together during its passage between said rolls, guides for directinga rail between the rolls and for preventing lateral displacement of the rail while being rolled, and means for moving themachine to and fro along said way in front of said furnace to receive a rail lying in any part of the opening therein, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we hereunto subscribe our names in the presence of witnesses.

DAVID H. LENTZ.

lVitnesses to signature of Shaw:

ALBERT J. HENNING, E. A. LEONARD. 

